Two longtime rivals are facing off in a Nassau congressional race.

Long Islanders living in New York's 4th Congressional District have been represented by a Democrat in Congress for 25 years.

Laura Gillen is hoping to keep that streak alive this year. The Democrat from Rockville Centre is running to replace retiring Rep. Kathleen Rice.

“I want to protect a woman's right to choose, and I want to get guns off our streets. We just had another school shooting with kids dying. I want to go to Congress and get the guns off our streets and address the mental health crisis that we have going on in this country,” Gillen says.

Gillen adds that she understands residents who are upset about crime and the economy.

“Look, I feel the same pain. I'm raising four children in this district. And I feel the same pain at the grocery store and at the gas pump that everyone else feels,” she says.

Gillen's Republican opponent is Hempstead Town Council Member Anthony D'Esposito.

The former NYPD detective says he's laser-focused on crime and inflation. He says his experience patrolling the streets of New York City will serve residents well in Congress.

“People talk about red wave, blue wave — this is a common sense wave. People want representation of real people who have life experience that they feel are going to have their best interest in hand,” D'Esposito says.

When Gillen was the supervisor of the town of Hempstead, she was outnumbered and frequently sparred with Republicans, including D'Esposito. This time though, the stakes are even higher.

“For me it's not personal, I want to do a job,” says D'Esposito. “I have no problem crossing party lines to deliver for our communities.”

Gillen says, “I've always done the right thing for the people that I serve, and you can rely on me to do that in Washington.”

Gillen served as the Hempstead Town supervisor from 2018 to 2020.

D'Esposito remains on the Hempstead Town Board and also works at the Nassau Board of Elections.